STAY
If you can stay when all are leaving,
and give due honor to their leaving, too;
If you can preach with few believing
and keep respect in the culture too;
If you can fall in bed exhausted and defeated,
and rise in the morning new,
and, forgiven, choose to be forgiving,
and stand and fight
and pray,
and stay;
If you can stay when grandkids are increasing
and rejoice in God's provision now
of brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers,
and in the world to come, a "Well done good and faithful servant!";
If you can face down burnout and exhaustion,
and treat those two impostors both the same,
and choose to seek the refreshing
of God's eternal Spirit,
and stay;
If you can weigh the options and struggle, and debate,
and use your thumb to press for STAY,
and never say "Look at what I did!"
and stay:
If you can say that sometimes staying may not be the best,
but sometimes it is the only,
thing.
and stay,
faithful and humble
planting and watering
and weeping and waiting,
and staying;
One day,
You will die on the field,
or,
you'll be an old missionary, my son,
or daughter, brother or sister!
